River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-04-21
We Should Pull Together.

Farmers as agriculturalists shouli
lead instead of lag behind. But som
pull one way and some another.
The business of tilling the ground
we claim to be the oldest and mos
honorable of industrial pursuits; tn,
| fountain and foundation OF civilization
yet the real intelligence of the times i
| far in advance Of tho farmer because
some pull one way and some another
and not because Of lack of opportuni
| ty on the farm or in the business Il
| breed bright, thinking men and WON
en-, for the inventive genius of the day
has driven from farm life its drudgery
labC saving implements and machin
| cry have Invested our business OF
/ the clogs of the centuries behind
us and made it possible for the
farmer TO rise out of stupidity, and
come up to the front in the race
| for intelligence and worth amongst his
fellows, by giving us the mastery OF
better methods and processes if VT
will learn the philosophical truth ac
cepted by all other pursuits of men from
railroad corporations that control bill
ions down to the rag picker of the
city gutter-that in unity, of mind
or muscle, there is power, there is
success.
Until very recently, say within TWEEN
ty years It was thought by farmers
themselves at well AS others. that an
organization of strength and durabili.
ty could not be maintained amongst us
on account of our scattered condition,
and the shyness and distrust begOtten
of this isolation; but the advent of the
grange twenty years ago and its present
existence and prosperity fully demon
strate that farmers too can become in
te!llgent enough to work together Il Ike
men in other pursuits, to protect their
interests.
Everything is done by united strength
now; by societies; all the trades and
businesses of the country combine their
effort for the attainment of good
for defense against evil or injury or
the encroachment upon their rights
And so farmers at last, by the force of
this marching, quickening glow of
courage, of manhood abroad in the
land, begin to put shoulder TO Shout
der, thought to thought. and work to.
gether with minds, and hands, and
feet.
Our little society here, the River
Falls Grange, has saved handsomely
sometimes by combining their pur-
chases. Y ears ago when goods were
up We sent to our state agent at Mil
waukee, quite often; and saved about
ten per cent. The agent purchases
machinery direct from the manufac-
turers, and goods and groceries in car
lots at wholesale. Some things we
bought here in bulk at an advantage.
This ten per cent. on the supplies of a
family of seven would probably amount
to % dollars in year. If properly
organized society existed in every town
where farms are numerC is, farmers
might cooperate in the purchase of
costly machinery and save one half at
least.
One binder that costs $500 and
mower that costs SO could do for two
small farms very well. They last about
six years. S45 a year; save one half of
this, so. so per family added to the S2S
on family supplies and we have $50. so,
= small, but precious treasure to many
4 .ural home in the back neighbor-
hoods.
If these town societies now existed
throughout the northwest, or spring
wheat belt, it would be very easy to
devise "a system of checking the flow
of wheat into a glutted market until a
demand would spring up.
Funds could be obtained upon wheat
in bin or warehouse for those in need
until the clog worked off and millers
Oh a
cents above a clogged market, the one
hundred million bushels surplus would
amount to five million dollars. In
this vicinity and in Minnesota
and Dakota Territory it would be,
perhaps thirty dollars a family. In
these little savings, small as they seem
lies many a joy for the lowly farm
family, the common people.
The farmers of the future, by pull
ing together will be able to have a
proper influence in fixing the prices of
their products, subject always to the
laws of supply and demand, but meas
urably Independent of the manipula-
tions of spectators.
Tillage ahundred years from now,
in order to feed our own forthcoming
millions. must be very different thing
from what it is; the pillow, instead of
rolling six inches of the top soil over
and over, must be a something to go
four times that depth, loosening and
pulverizing the soil; driven by electric
ity, maybe; or steam with gas for fuel;
or something superior TO horse power
yet to be unfolded to the prying eyes
of this future man of the barn yard.
Cooperation is the demand of the
times; it indicates confidence, a de-
sire to pull for a mutual interest, only
to be gained by an intimate acquain-
lance, such as frequent meeting in a
society will beget. Casual meetings
don't have the effect to drive out all
avarice from the soul, and make one
look upon his neighbours welfare as
equally important with his own.
In the future if farmers will but
learn to pull together and keep their
heads above water, civilization in its
unfolding march will throw about our
associations cOuntenance and protect.
ton. helps in the form of friendly laws
TO make our organization strong and
efficient. This public recognition is
to come to us by and by when we have
established character for Will and self
! projections; when we. and all men, have
learned that where two or more live in
the same country there is no such thing
as freedom.
The theory of cooperation is not
new. Men have had it all along
the ages in its ups and downs
ever since they began to put their
coats on and look upward. The
rattle and buster of to-day but indi.
Gates another step in the ascent of an
| improving race.
Men. even farmers. begin TO see that
they owe something to pOsterity
| that they should bestlr themselves to
| perfect and perpetuate the pleasure:
of this enjoyable world--hand il
down to the children in running order
else the destiny of the grooming mill
ions of this pursuit in other lands anC
days may overtake the future farmer:
/ of AmeTica-our sons.
/ R~N.